Yeahhhhh, buddy. I’m gonna be working at the Big 4! You jealous, bro? Nice dinners. Open bars. Happy Hours. Travel. Nice hotels. Airline mileage. And a ton of Respect from those at second rate firms.
The 90 hours are just insane. I worked for an industry with a workload that requires me 5-10 hours or more a week. I still couldn't get things caught up due to the high volume of work. By the time I get off work, I got no more energy left to study for this CPA.
Sadly, there's no OT after becoming a full-time. I hardly made any during my internship at a Mid-size regional. Luckily, my firm said nothing too crazy even during busy season. somewhere around 65 hours, never exceeded 70.
first few months will be happy & excited, but slowly the reality of the long hours will set in. i don't understand how some groups are required to have minimum 60 client hours a week during busy season, even 6 days a week at 9 hours wouldn't be enough.
For everyone talking about hours you know that going in. You work B4 for the experience and to learn as much as possible while you're there. While the pay isn't extraordinary by any means, you are there to grow your network and learn. Long term it seems worth it honestly, especially starting out.
Yeah, the first few years of B4 or even the next class of public accounting.. talking multistate/multinational offices (not really talking the regional firms with 10 offices in the Midwest (I'm looking at you BKD) I'm talking Grant, BDO, McGladrey, Crowe) are miserable but you won't learn nearly as much in industry if you're a fresh college grad in the same first few years. And in industry, the promotions are few and far between, even if you're at a large fortune 500 company. People have to DIE before there is any movement. You'll get the 2.5% “standard of living” increase every year.
But, it does depend on how fast and far you want to move in the rat race to the top. My industry jobs for very large public companies were not challenging enough.
Wow, this job sounds great, except that it isn't. I work for a big 4 firm, and I'm basically treated like a slave. I work 15 hours a day. I get home by 1 AM everyday. I don't get paid for overtime. The manager doesn't care about me and just cares about making his life easier by making my life miserable. I am a staff 1. I've been eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner out everyday since the second week of January, which makes me feel like shit by now. I worked every weekend, Sat and Sun for at least 6 hours each (I'm on a public client) for the past 7 weeks! Those long hours make you think to yourself, why am I doing this? Is it even worth it? the answer is, no! I decided not to go though another busy season again. It's just not worth sacrificing my life style- or my life. I get back pain and my wrists hurt. It isn't for everyone. That being said, my engagement is great and I'm doing pretty well, but still, it is not worth it.
Also it's never enough! You have your tasks assigned to you at the beginning, but when you get your shit done, you just get more work and other people's tasks start falling on your shoulders. Work never ends. You have to do the hours no matter what. You get paid basically nothing, and the partner bills your hours to the client with a profit margin exceeding 700%!!! (based on you hourly rate).
hahahaha OP may have made this thread as a joke/humble brag, but Another85 just dropped a huge dose of reality on him. Probably regrets this thread now.
AUD 93 Jan 16
BEC 83 Feb 16
FAR 83 Apr 16
REG 84 May 16
You got a job with the Big4 and you work a ton of hours? That is as advertised. Oh the partners (who have put in far more time than you) bill you at substantially more than you make while you gain experience that is valued in the market place?! Shame on them! LOL. The firm provides the added value, good luck trying to go out and get a job for 700% of what you make now.
I never understand the whining from the Big4 burnouts, its a very transparent transaction. You work a lot, you get awesome experience and resume cache, the firm/partners make the real money (and assume all the risk).
I never understood the illusion that the Big 4 is about experience, experience, experience, you can't get experience somewhere you don't have to be a slave? How many associates actually make it to Partner? Are they going to teach me the “right” way to fill out a 1040 or 1120? Sounds to me like someone's brewing the Kool aid and thousands of people are drinking it.
I once looked up to B4 people… until my company had an audit done by a B4 who shall remain unnamed. The people they sent over…SMH… they were by no means were smarter than me, not at all! They aren't any better than anyone else. I was like sh*t I could probably could get a job there… granted I never tried because I have ZERO desire to work 80+ hours a week and everyday.
As someone that comes from a “Second Rate Firm”, I have to say you're going to go NOWHERE with an attitude like that. You bring the Big 4 stereotype to life. Have fun. The next Big 4 candidate that comes around is getting an instant denial from me. No one wants that BS coming to their workplace.
<EDIT> Do what I did, find a CPA firm that pays overtime on top of your salary. THEY EXIST! Working 60 hours? Get paid in straight time for the extra 20. Yes, our salaries start smaller, but they more than make it up in OT.
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